Harness saddle



ASQZM `Fume 19, 1923.

J. D, KELLER HARNESS sADLE Filed Oct. 30 1922 gnentom l Fatented June 19, 1923 JAMES D. KELLER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

HARNESS SADDLE.

Application filed October 30, 1922.

T 0 all fui/0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. KELLER, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Tmproved Harness Saddle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the saddles constituting parts of light harnesses, particularly the harnesses for trotting horses while racing, and its object is to provide pads for such saddles that will be flexible and resilient and which will freely absorb moisture.

This invention consists in a saddle pad comprising rubber sponge to absorb moisture, felt to receive the moisture from the rubber, and a covering of porous leather for pad.

It further consists in the details of construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a front and Fig. 2 a side elevation of a harness saddle provided with my improved pads. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The saddle shown in the drawing is generally of well known construction having a steel frame l to the ends of which the rings 2 are connected. This frame is covered by the layers 3 and 4; and the frame rests on the layer 5, all of heavy leather. The pads 6 are of usual form and consist of a cover 7 of porous leather, calf-skin preferred, having its edges turned in, as indicated in Fig. 3, and sewed to the layer 5, a liner 8 of rawhide being placed between them if desired.

The pad preferably consists of a layer 9 of felt-,either hair, wool or cotton, although wool is preferred, a thin layer 10 of cork, and a layer l1 of sponge rubber which is so porous that it will permit the passage of sweat from the horse to the layer 9 of felt. The layer of cork may be omitted if desired. The porous covering 7 permits the moisture to pass into the sponge 11 which Serial No. 597,790.

absorbs it freely, and permits the excess to pass through the cork into the felt 9 where it is retained until opportunity is given to evaporate through the covering 7.

The effect of this pad is a substantial avoidance of the band of sweat so often found on the back of light harness horses. The layer of sponge rubber is resilient even when moist and whileit assists in keeping the pad of felt in proper form, the use of the thin layer of cork is useful in keeping the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim l. A harness saddle comprising a metal frame, pads consisting of layers of sponge rubber and felt, coverings of porous leather enclosing the rubber and felt, and a layer of heavy leather between-the pads and the metal frame.

2. A harness saddle comprising a metal frame, a. layer of leather upon which the frame is mounted, and a pad on the inner side of said leather layer consisting of a layer of wool felt next the leather, a layer of sponge rubber outside the felt, and a covering of porous leather enclosing the padding and having its edges secured to the layer of leather.

3. A harness saddle comprising a metal frame, a layer of leather upon which the frame is mounted, a pad on the inner side of said leather layer consisting of a layer of wool felt next the leather, a layer of sponge rubber outside the felt, a thin layer of cork between the Vfelt and sponge rubber, and a covering of porous leather enclosing the padding and having its edges secured to the layer of leather.

JAMES D. KELLER. 

